Ray’s Daily
April 28, 2021
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
There are some days when I wished I had behaved better. I don’t like myself when I am so preoccupied that I miss the signs of need in others. The good news is that I usually do better the next day.
Being who we would like to be is really up to us. I am at the stage in life where I do not need much, but I do need self respect, something I can only earn by my behavior. The good news is that we always have another chance at doing better.
Who will you be tomorrow?
One man sat at a stop light. The woman in front of him was going through papers on the seat of her car, and when the light changed to green she didn’t go. A green light is not a suggestion, you know, it is more of a commandment. But she didn’t notice.
When the light turned red again, she still had not moved. The man in the car behind her now started screaming epithets and beating on his steering wheel.
A policeman tapped on his windshield. ‘You can’t arrest me for hollering in my car,’ the man said. The cop asked for his license and registration, returned to his car, talked on the radio for a while, and finally handed the papers back. The driver protested, ‘I knew you couldn’t cite me for yelling in my own car!’
The officer replied, ‘I didn’t want to cite you for shouting in your car. But I was directly behind you at the light. I saw you screaming and beating your steering wheel, and I said to myself, ‘That man is out of control. He’s going to hurt someone!’
‘Then I noticed the cross hanging from your rear view mirror, the bright yellow ‘Love Is a Choice’ license tag, the ‘Give Peace a Chance’ and ‘Prayer Changes Things’ bumper stickers, and I was sure you must have stolen the car.’
His behaviour did not reflect his bumper stickers. But let’s not be too critical. Are we always the people we want to be?
We make changes by stretching. Personal transformation can happen when the person we presently are does not yet resemble the person we hope to be. Better to set high ideals and occasionally fall short than to settle for mediocrity and succeed.
The important question is not, ‘Who are you today?’ It is better to ask, ‘Who will you be tomorrow?’
Remember: if nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies.
Written by Steve Goodier
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“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
William James
~~~
Why men don’t write advice columns:
Walter’s Problem Page
Dear Walter:
I hope you can help me here. The other day I set off for work leaving my husband in the house watching the TV as usual. I hadn’t gone more than a few hundred yards down the road when my engine conked out and the car shuddered to a halt. I walked back home to get my husband’s help.
When I got home I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was parading in front of the wardrobe mirror dressed in my underwear and high-heel shoes, and he was wearing my make up. I am 32, my husband is 34 and we have been married for twelve years. When I confronted him, he tried to make out that he had dressed in my lingerie because he couldn’t find his own underwear. But when I asked him about the make up, he broke down and admitted that he’d been wearing my clothes for six months. I told him to stop or I would leave him.
He was let go from his job six months ago and he says he has been feeling increasingly depressed and worthless. I love him very much, but ever since I gave him the ultimatum he has become increasingly distant.
I don’t feel I can get through to him anymore. Can you please help?
Sincerely, Mrs. Sheila Uisk
Dear Sheila:
A car stalling after being driven a short distance can be caused by a variety of faults with the engine. Start by checking that there is no debris in the fuel line. If it is clear, check the jubilee clips holding the vacuum pipes onto the inlet manifold. If none of these approaches solves the problem, it could be that the fuel pump itself is faulty, causing low delivery pressure to the carburetor float chamber. I hope this helps.
Walter
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Never close your lips to those to whom you have opened your heart.
Charles Dickens
~~~
She said: I was barely sitting down when I heard a voice from the other stall saying, “Hi, how are you?”
I’m not the type to start a conversation in the restroom and I don’t know what got into me, but I answered, somewhat embarrassed, “Doin’ just fine!”
And the other person says, “So, what are you up to?”
What kind of question is that? At that point, I’m thinking this is too bizarre so I say, “Uhhh, I’m like you, just traveling!”
At this point I am just trying to get out as fast as I can when I hear another question. “Can I come over?”
OK, this question is just too weird for me, but I figure I’ll just be polite and end the conversation. I say, “No, I’m a little busy right now!”
Then I hear the person say nervously, “Listen, I’ll have to call you back. There’s an idiot in the other stall who keeps answering all my questions.”
~~~
Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Confucious
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A couple of young fellers were fishing at their special pond off the beaten track when out of the bushes jumped the Game Warden. Immediately, one of the boys threw his rod down and started running through the woods like a bat out of hell, and hot on his heels came the Game Warden
After about a half mile the fella stopped and stooped over with his hands on his thighs to catch his breath and the Game Warden finally caught up to him… “Lets see yer fishin’ license, Boy!!” the Warden gasped. With that, the fella pulled out his wallet and gave the Game Warden a valid fishing license.
“Well, son,” said the Game Warden, “you must be about as dumb as a box of rocks! You don’t have to run from me if you have a valid license!”
“Yes, sir,” replied the young feller, “But my friend back there, well, he don’t have one…”
~~~
“Our self-respect tracks our choices. Every time we act in harmony with our authentic self and our heart, we earn our respect. It is that simple. Every choice matters.”
Dan Coppersmith
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Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than twenty years to people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@comcast.net. Back issues are posted at http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are hundreds of readers from around the world.
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